


Petit Gâteau

by swtalmnd



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9822626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swtalmnd/pseuds/swtalmnd
Summary: Ariadne gets to Paris a few weeks before grad school starts, and goes exploring.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my cheerreaders, QueenThayet and dandalfthedisco.

Ariadne was determined to make the most of grad school in fucking Paris, and so she set out to explore the area around campus with a will. She wanted to find the best bakeries, wine bars, cafes, and patisseries, not to mention the restaurants and markets and every other kind of amazing shop there was to discover. She wandered the little side streets on endless lazy afternoons in the weeks between moving and classes starting, and one day she turned a corner and saw the most perfect-looking patisserie.

There were wrought-iron tables outside under a fluttering awning, displays of pastries and chocolates in the window, and people sitting at the tables reading, drinking coffee or tea, and eating delectable-looking sweets. Ariadne drifted toward it like a moth to flame. She stopped in her tracks when a beautiful woman came out of the shop bearing a plate with three lovely choux à la crème on it to present to one of the waiting customers.

The server's skin glowed with health in the sunlight, her dark hair was in a fashionable bob, her mouth was lush and inviting, and her body was tall and trim and shapely enough to remind Ariadne that there were other pleasures than food to be had in France. Ari swallowed and started forward again, feeling shy as a schoolgirl as she stepped up to one of the tables.

"Un moment," said the woman, her voice rich enough to send shivers down Ariadne's spine. Her eyes were a bright blue up close, and Ariadne had the urge to draw her.

Ari nodded and took a seat, pulling a small sketchbook and travel watercolours out of her bag and looking around for some bit of architecture to distract her from the shape of the woman's body under her tank top and apron.

Ariadne managed to get a shape roughed out on her page before a whiff of flowers made her look up into the face of the server. "Um, hi."

"What can I get for you?" she asked, a warm smile on her face. Her accent was melodious rather than nasal or harsh, with a kindness in her eyes when she spoke in English.

"What's good today?" asked Ariadne, trying very hard not to embarrass herself. "Um, with a cappuccino, please."

"Oui," she replied. "Today I would recommend the pain au chocolat, or if you prefer we have a very good selection of petit gâteau."

"Oh, cake would be amazing. Um, nothing raspberry but chocolate is good?" Ariadne hoped the smile on her face wasn't too goofy.

The woman's smile deepened, making her eyes crinkle at the corners appealingly. "I know just the thing."

Just then a voice came from inside, calling, "Mallorie! Mal, get in here!"

The woman, Mallorie presumably, rolled her eyes and gave Ariadne a wink. She sauntered inside with a sway to her hips that was practically seduction all by itself, and Ariadne had to take a moment to remember she was meant to be drawing architecture and not fantasising about her server.

Ari adjusted her neckerchief self-consciously and worked on adding detail to her sketch. She managed to get enough into it that she jumped a little when a beautifully-made coffee was set down next to her, decorated with a heart rosette in the foam. It was followed by a plate and napkin with fork. "This is chocolate cake and mousse, with mango and strawberry," said the woman. "And I'm Mal."

"Oh, um, Ariadne. Nice to meet you," she replied, trying not to drool over the woman or the cake. The layered round had a spill of fresh fruit over the top, and looked like something out of an ad campaign. There was dark cake at the bottom, then a layer of fruit and cream, then mousse, and finally some sort of ganache on top, with a chocolate copy of the shop's logo artfully balanced on the fruit. "This looks amazing."

"Your drawing is lovely," said Mal, nodding to the book. "Are you an artist?"

"Architect. Well, student," said Ariadne. "I'm in grad school."

"Ah. École Spéciale d'Architecture?" She was smiling, and seemed even taller with Ariadne sitting in her shadow.

Ari's heart was pounding. "Oui. I don't speak Parisian French very well yet, but I get by."

"Canadienne?" asked Mal, cocking her head a little and letting her smile grow one-sided, unmistakably flirtatious.

"Oui, Saskatchewan." Ariadne realized that someone was trying to get Mal's attention, and licked her lips, eyes flicking to the left. "I went to school in Ontario, though."

"Un moment," said Mal with a sigh, turning to help the demanding man.

Ariadne took a shaky breath and then steadied herself with a sip of the cappuccino, which tasted as good as it looked. She tried the cake, too, almost as interested in it as she was in Mal. She wondered if she was misinterpreting, because Mal was not only older but out of Ariadne's league. Still, some women liked small, pretty girls like her, and she wasn't going to miss her chance because she was too shy to take a shot.

The sweet melting in her mouth almost changed her mind; it would be a shame to miss out on more treats like these because she'd annoyed the waitress.

The customer placated, Mal came back and plopped herself in the chair across from Ariadne, somehow making the movement look elegant instead of graceless. Her legs were long in their shorts, and the apron emphasised the shape of waist and hip, making Ariadne wonder about how those hips would fit her hands.

"How long will you be in Paris?" asked Mal, toying with the edge of Ariadne's napkin.

Ariadne cleared her mouth with a sip of coffee, smiling shyly as she set the cup down. "Two years at least. I start next week."

Mal smiled and pulled a pad and pen out of her apron. She wrote on it and then stood, leaning close in a wash of subtle florals and a hint of vanilla. She murmured in Ariadne's ear, "Don't let it get stale."

Mal sauntered back inside, and Ariadne looked at the paper. Messy handwriting with flowing loops greeted her: Mal Miles, and a phone number.

Ariadne blushed even hotter and tucked the paper into her sketchbook. She would definitely not let this chance go to waste.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm amysnotdeadyet on tumblr, it's not meant to be a secret identity -- come say hi! Perhaps I'll write the porny sequel for Inception Bingo this year. ;)


End file.
